by Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

Michael Holmes, a running back who seemed poised to break out for Virginia Tech in 2013, won't be playing with the Hokies this upcoming season.

The Virginia Tech student judicial panel made the decision to disassociate Holmes from the university last month, athletic director Jim Weaver told The Roanoke Times.

"He's permanently separated from the university," said Weaver, who was not privy to those deliberations.

Holmes, a rising sophomore from Harrisonburg, Va., was found guilty of misdemeanor assault and battery in June after he was arrested and charged in April in correlation to a fight that took place after the team's spring football game in a downtown parking lot. He was originally charged with malicious wounding, a felony, and two counts of simple assault.

Holmes was temporarily removed from the team after the incident but because his charge was dropped to a misdemeanor, he had the potential to be reinstated to the team. He was the Hokies' fourth-leading rusher in 2012 with 280 yards on 70 carries as a redshirt freshman and had performed well in spring 2013.

Scott Gleeson, a national colleges writer/producer for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.